Ben Affleck Bulks Up For Batman Role

If all the reports and photos are true, Ben Affleck is getting mentally and physically prepared for his upcoming role as Batman. For those of you who hadn’t heard, he signed on to portray the caped crusader in the Man of Steel sequel that’s rumored to be titled Superman vs. Batman.

The announcement wasn’t met with the overwhelming positivity that he might have hoped for, but Affleck said he could handle any and all haters during an appearance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon in September. He also revealed in an interview with 411 that he was actually reluctant to take the role at first.

But when he spoke with director Zack Snyder, Affleck said everything clicked: “[O]nce Zack showed me the concept, and that it would be both different from the great movies that Chris and Christian [Nolan] made but still in keeping with tradition I was excited.” He went on to say, “Doing something different and new is always tricky and part of the thrill and the risk is that initially it confounds expectations. The truth is, it’s the movie and the execution of it is what all the actors depend on and I believe in Zack’s vision.”

Now that he’s got that mental strength, Affleck’s focusing on getting his body up to that same level. And judging by these new photos of him in a tight white shirt, it looks like he’s getting there pretty quickly. He’s noticeably slimmer and his chest and biceps look more muscular than ever. This isn’t much of a surprise for those who followed the previous Batman films, though, as actor Christian Bale had to do some bulking up of his own to fill the legendary superhero’s suit.

It’s great to see that Affleck is on this more positive path considering his latest role wasn’t necessarily one of his best, though it did have its moment in terms of action and pacing. He recently co-starred in Runner Runner, which was released on Oct. 4, alongside Justin Timberlake. Affleck portrayed the villain, a gambling boss of sorts named Ivan Block. He first screws over Timberlake’s character, college student Richie Furst, and then takes him under his wing.

For those unfamiliar with the film, Furst is a young kid looking to pay his loans by gambling online. This, of course, isn’t that far-fetched given the popularity of sites like Bet Fair Casino, where potential gambling aficionados can play a number of different games ranging from poker to slots. They can also come and go as they please, which is a huge benefit to the 20-something crowd that’s always on the move. But Furst eventually fell into the all-encompassing trap of Block, lost all of his money, and attempted to confront him at his Costa Rican headquarters. We won’t spoil what happens after that, but we think the reviews speak for themselves.

Hopefully Affleck’s upcoming roles, including his portrayal of Batman, can let his career handle this pretty substantial dip. To be fair, it is just one film, but it’s not the greatest look considering he released one of the best movies of 2012 with Argo.